UV and Infrared Light

UV & Infrared Light

Basic Information About UV Light

The best UV lights emit as little visible light as possible.
Ultraviolet (UV) light with shorter wavelengths has more overall energy, and a wider variety of materials will fluoresce (glow) under shorter wavelengths of UV light. The type of Ultraviolet light and the color of visible light is determined by its wavelength. The unit of measurement for light wavelengths is the nanometer (nm). Ultraviolet light is generally considered to be from 200 nm to 400 nm. As you can see from the chart below, 400nm is barely UV, and is right on the border of the visible light spectrum. Longwave UV light is the wavelength that familiar blacklight bulbs produce. It is safe, not harmful to the eyes, and will make fluorescent paints & markers light up brightly. It will also rapidly 'charge up' glow-in-the-dark materials (instead of holding them under bright white light for long periods of time). However, once you get into the short UV wavelengths (such as those under 300 nm) they have so much energy that they will burn your eyes & skin (which is exactly why they are used in tanning machines). The UV wavelength of 264 nm is known as 'germicidal' and this very short wavelength of UV light is the particular wavelength that will kill microorganisms. UV light in this range is used to sterilize medical tools and surfaces.Ultraviolet light is also ideal for: Entry control at events (UV mark on people's hands), Leak detection using fluorescent dyes,Curing UV adhesives, Detecting repairs in pottery & china, Scorpion & insect hunting, Law enforcement (detecting UV strips on insignia or ID's), Product QA (detecting authenticating strips on products), Counterfeit bill detection, Electronics (test sensors, etc), Lab & science experiments, etc.

Basic Information About IR Light

Infrared (IR) light is also known as 'heat radiation' and is typically defined as wavelengths from about 700 nm to just under microwave frequencies. In layman's terms, infrared light can be considered 'heat'. For IR lighting uses, there are two main IR wavelengths used by IR LEDs, 850 nm and 940 nm. LEDs that emit IR light at 850 nm can be seen in the dark - they emit a very low intensity deep red glow. LEDs emitting IR at 940 nm produce no visible light and cannot be seen. CO2 lasers operate at a much higher infrared wavelength of 10,600 nm.

UltraFire UV Flashlight The new UltraFire Rechargeable is a high power UV light for professional use - and is nothing like inexpensive UV flashlights you see with clusters of LEDS in them. Instead of an array of standard UV LEDs, the UltraFire UV...

Invisible UV Ink > An all-purpose UV ink that is invisible under normal lighting conditions, but under UV light (blacklight), it glows a bright blue. It is the same formula used in our Invisible UV Marking Pens. Perfect for hand stamping at events...

Invisible UV Ink > A solvent based UV ink that is invisible under normal lighting conditions, but under UV light (blacklight), it glows a bright neon blue. Not for use on skin, this solvent based ink works great on virtually any surface. Unlike...

UV Enhancing Glasses > Ideal for use with any of our UV lights or any UV light source between 375nm - 400 nm. Some materials do fluoresce under UV light, but are too difficult to pick out of the background 'fringe' UV wavelengths. These...

Stamp Pad, empty > For use with our Invisible UV Ink (or your own ink), these genuine Carter felt inkpads are ideal for all inkpad uses. Use your own rubber stamp to mark books and other valuables or stamp hands at special events, etc. The...

UV Detection Powder Stop Thief! Our super-fine UV Detection Powder is great for all anti-theft purposes or countless UV (blacklight) experiments. Just a very light dusting (a soft makeup brush is ideal to use) and the powder is virtually invisible...

Invisible Infrared LEDs Our Infrared LEDs ( IR LEDs ) emit a completely invisible wavelength of light at 940 nanometers. There are some IR LEDs available that are 'near' infrared, and in the dark you can plainly see their dim red glow. They do...